


Boethiah's Calling: A Skyrim Mystery

by FrickinAngel



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Dragonborn (Elder Scrolls), False Accusations, Gen, Murder, Newspapers, Post-Quest, Quests, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 06:51:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10508541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrickinAngel/pseuds/FrickinAngel
Summary: When Jenassa the Sellword disappears from Whiterun after being seen leaving with Anya Nordborn, the Dragonborn of Legend, the newspapers of Skyrim start to question everything.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was thinking it might be fun to look at the Dragonborn's life in Skyrim through the lens of a bunch of semi-snarky and accusatory articles and op-ed pieces. I hope you enjoy it!

**BOETHIAH'S CALLING**

 

**From the Whiterun Tattler, 3rd of Frostfall**

**Missing Resident--Foul Play Suspected**

Jenassa the Sellsword, resident of our fair city for many years now, was reported missing by Elrindir, the Bosmer Fletcher, last week. This reporter met with him over a pint of mead at the Bannered Mare to discuss it just last night. "Jenassa was a frequent patron of the shop. She's a bit full of herself, but a good sort, all things considered. You might say she was fond of hanging about at the Drunken Huntsman," said the Bosmer. "And have I mentioned why I named it so? Yes, I hear that question often. My brother Anoriath and I came up with it one night after consuming... rather too much mead. We—"

After this reporter got Elrindir back on track, he mentioned that Jenassa was last seen in the company of the Dragonborn, Anya Nordborn. He didn't think it remarkable at the time, apparently, as she is often seen in the company of different followers, including the notorious Volkihar vampire, Serana. 

This reporter was informed that Elrindir had indeed reported Jenassa missing to the local Whiterun guards. When questioned, as usual, the guards were sarcastic. "They say Ulfric Stormcloak murdered the High King... with his voice! Shouted him apart! Maybe it was him."

It's long been known that the guards of Skyrim will brook no criticism of the Dragonborn. There is an almost cultish love for her among them. When asked about her, most respond with something along the lines of, “Whatever she needs, the Dragonborn. She only needs to say the word."

Rumors have swirled around her for years: murder, theft, lies and deceit to name only a few. Anya Nordborn has simply been in too many of the wrong places at the right time not to connect the dots. She was at Vittoria Vicci's ill-fated wedding, and was seen near the Emperor's ship, the Katariah right after he was assassinated. Mercer Frey, the alleged head of Riften’s shady Thieves Guild, was last seen in her company four years ago. Now no one has heard from him since. This reporter will be on the lookout for more information and our readers will learn any new details of Jenassa's whereabouts as soon as we do. 

 

**From the Windhelm Courier, 10th of Frostfall**

**Multiple Murders in Eastmarch! Citizens Concerned.**

After receiving a tip from an unnamed source in Whiterun, a contingent of Windhelm guards were sent out to the Shrine of Boethiah by Jarl Free-Winter. What they found was, frankly, beyond disturbing: body upon mutilated body, piled in a heap below the shrine, all slain by an immensely sharp, possibly magical blade. Among the dead, a former citizen of Whiterun Hold, known only by the first name, Jenassa. 

Jenassa, a Sellsword, had been missing for over two weeks and was last seen following the Dragonborn of Legend, Anya Nordborn, out of Whiterun a week before she was reported missing. Could the Dragonborn really be behind all these murders? 

Many residents of Windhelm swear to this day to have seen Anya Nordborn coldly shoot Nilsine Shattershield in the back two years ago, in a dark alley with her Daedric bow, and yet Jarl Free-Winter and the Windhelm guards refuse to even entertain the idea. As a result, poor Nilsine's murder goes unsolved and her family still mourns her loss. 

This reporter would like to know the answers to all of these questions. But when a Windhelm guard was asked, the only thing he would say was, "Let me guess... Someone stole your sweet roll!" 

 

**From the Solitude Herald, 16th of Frostfall**

**Dragonborn Implicated in Multiple Murders?**

This reporter managed to get a rare interview with the beautiful and strong Legate Rikke outside of Castle Dour yesterday. After seeing stories in both the Whiterun Tattler and the Windhelm Courier speculating about the Dragonborn's hand in multiple homicides around Skyrim, this reporter felt it was time to talk to someone who knows the Dragonborn's sword-style.

Legate Rikke cut an imposing, yet compelling figure in her form-fitting light Legate armor as she stood in the courtyard of Castle Dour. This reporter asked about the Dragonborn's behavior and bearing during the Battle for Windhelm at the end of the Great Civil War two years ago. 

"The Dragonborn was unmoved with kindness for the dog," Rikke said in her clipped style, referring to Ulfric Stormcloak. "She forced him to his knees and used General Tullius' Sword of the Vampire to deal a crushing, final blow to Ulfric, slicing his head clean off. It was thrilling to watch her in action!" Rikke said fondly. 

When asked if she thought the Dragonborn to be cruel, Rikke shook her head emphatically. "Nothing was too much for that dog!" She would speculate no further, saying that Skyrim would be in the hands of a populist dictator now, if the Dragonborn hadn't been an integral part of the Civil War. "We couldn't have done it without her!" she insisted. 

The forcible manner in which Anya Nordborn killed Ulfric sounds very similar to the way that the ill-fated Sellsword, Jenassa, and the other cultists at the Shrine of Boethiah in Eastmarch Hold were slain. Decisively and with great force by a terrible blade. While it is certain that there are many warriors around Skyrim who could have dealt these killing blows in the same way, it does seem that the Dragonborn, savior though she may be, has been in too many sticky and frankly sketchy situations throughout the years for this reporter to ignore. 

Keep a watch for more articles as this story develops. 

 

**Op Ed piece from the Morthal Enquirer, 17th of Frostfall**

A great many thinly-veiled accusations have been leveled at the Dragonborn over the last couple of weeks. It has been suggested that she might be a murderer, a liar, a thief even. I would put forth that any famous personage has his (or her) naysayers, those jealous of the amazing accomplishments achieved. 

And who is to be more envied than our dear Anya Nordborn, I ask you? Not only is she the Dragonborn of legend, who saved all of Skyrim from certain doom at the claws and teeth of Alduin the World Eater, but she has helped so many of the people of Skyrim! 

Why in our little town of Morthal alone, she singlehandedly thwarted a nefarious plan to turn the citizens of our town into bloodsucking vampires, one and all! By defeating the ancient vampire, Movarth, she saved our citizens from a fate worse than death! 

And when asked about it, she is always modest to a fault, saying that anyone would have helped us out like that! Well, I'll tell you this, by Ysmir: 90% of the guards wouldn't even accompany her to Movarth's Lair to help her. And those that did go with her stayed outside to let her fight him and his bloodsucking minions alone! 

Is that the kind of woman who would murder innocent people of Skyrim? Steal from them? Lie to them? 

I think not. And I think everyone should stop listening to the outrageous claims that are being made in these big-city newspapers. They're just looking to increase their readership. Keep your wits about you, Skyrim! 

Thonnir of Morthal 

 

**From the Solitude Herald, 19th of Frostfall**

**Dragonborn Exposed!**

It has come to this reporter's attention that when she first arrived in the country, the Dragonborn was apprehended by Imperial soldiers just over the borders of Skyrim in the company of a group of renegade Stormcloaks. 

Although it isn't known what she was charged with, this reporter has it on good authority from an unnamed source high up in the Imperial army in Solitude, that shortly thereafter, the Dragonborn's head was on the headsman's chopping block in the erstwhile city of Helgen. 

It was such a confusing mess in Helgen the day that Alduin attacked, that there are no records for why Anya Nordborn was arrested. Was it just a case of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or was there another, more sinister reason?

Was the Dragonborn colluding with the Stormcloaks, even though she helped to win the battle for Windhelm and singlehandedly killed Ulfric Stormcloak? Could she have stopped backing the Stormcloaks when she saw that the Imperials were better situated to win? 

This certainly casts our Dragonborn in a negative light. Not only have allegations of murder, theft and deceit been cast against her, but might we now add treason to the list? If anyone has any information, please send a parchment to me or stop by the Herald offices immediately. All sources remain confidential, as always. 

 

**From the Solitude Herald, 21st of Frostfall**

**Vampires Attack Solitude!**

It is with great sadness that we announce the murder of our own reporter, Ondar Brownbeard, last night after his expository article on the Dragonborn was printed and released. 

He was apparently on his way to the Winking Skeever after a long day at the office. Witnesses report seeing a beautiful, dark-haired and immensely powerful female vampire come out of nowhere, wrapping Ondar in her cloak and draining him almost instantly, leaving him, and four other citizens mutilated and dead. 

One of the victims, a young girl named Runa Fair-Shield, who the Dragonborn adopted two years ago, lies in a coma, hovering between life and death. It is said the Dragonborn is racing to Solitude even now from parts unknown to be at her side along with her husband, Balimund. 

As grim as the accusation may sound, might this vampire not have been Anya Nordborn's own sometime follower, Volkihar vampire, Serana? Could the Dragonborn have sent her to silence Ondar, after his accusations? 

The Solitude Herald will be on the scene, asking difficult questions when the Dragonborn arrives. As always, anyone with any information should feel free to come forward by sending a parchment or stopping by the Herald offices. 

 

**From the Solitude Herald, 23rd of Frostfall**

**Rebuttal:**  
I am Isran, leader of the Dawnguard. I would like to express my consternation at your article, titled "Vampires Attack Solitude!". 

I have worked closely with Anya Nordborn, the Dragonborn, for many years now and find your paper's accusations to be both baseless and unfounded. Anya has saved the fates of Skyrim time and time again, as we all know. The Dawnguard could never have fought the cursed Vampire menace a few years ago without her. Her defeat of Lord Harkon after the arduous search in Forgotten Vale for Auriel's Bow was both timely and priceless to the citizens of this fair land.  
Your accusation that she sent her friend, Serana, to kill your reporter and others in Solitude is, frankly, ridiculous. When I first met Serana at the beginning of the Vampire Crisis, I was leery of her, with obvious reasons. She was an ancient Volkihar Vampire and the daughter of Lord Harkon himself. But she proved herself throughout the crisis, even going so far as to help Anya Nordborn in slaying her own father!  
After the crisis, she worked closely with the wizard, Falion, in Morthal, to cure herself of Vampirism for good. She now lives and works with us at Fort Dawnguard, where we would never suffer one of those blood-suckers to draw breath! She could no more have killed your reporter in the way you suggest than I could.  
We have dispatched a team of Dawnguard warriors to Solitude to find and dispense with the vampire who attacked your city.  
Please think about your accusations before writing another sensationalist article designed only to garner readership!  
Most Sincerely yours,  
Isran, Vigilant of Stendar and Leader of the Dawnguard

**From the Solitude Herald, 24th of Frostfall**  
**Dragonborn Sneaks into Solitude Under Cover of Darkness**  
This reporter has it on good authority that the Dragonborn did, indeed, arrive in Solitude sometime in the night, possibly sneaking in through the back entrance, as far as anyone knows.  
Several citizens have reported seeing her, eating a hasty breakfast with her husband, the former Riften Blacksmith, Balimund, this morning. Another citizen saw what looked like the Dragonborn, sitting in a chair, looking concerned, through an upstairs window that we have on good authority is her adopted daughter's bedroom. 

Why wouldn't she come to the Herald's offices to clear her name? Why wouldn't she want to let the world know that she isn't guilty of the things she's been accused of? Why hide in her mansion in plain sight, as they say? It seems awfully suspect.  
We will be on the lookout for more details as this story develops. 

**From the Solitude Herald, 25th of Frostfall**  
This reporter is feeling chagrined this morning. Last night, as her daughter, Runa, lay in a coma, Anya Nordborn, the Dragonborn, invited me to her beautiful home, Proudspire Manor, here in Solitude.  
When I arrived, she was gracious and pleasant, and asked me to please have a seat in a comfortable chair near the fireplace in the common area. Her husband, Balimund, sat nearby, protectively, the entire time we talked.  
She said she was concerned about all the accusations that had been made about her and realized that perhaps it was time to clear the air on these subjects. "People with a lot of notoriety, like myself, often have many rumors spread about them," she told me. "I have nothing but the best intentions for Skyrim and its citizenry, as long as I have been here."  
I asked first about her arrest immediately upon arriving in Skyrim many years ago. “In this case, it was truly that I was in the wrong place at the right time,” she told me. “Just after I came over the border, I stumbled into a camp of Stormcloaks, who were just beginning to threaten my life as the Imperials came along and arrested us all.”  
I next asked about the Shrine of Boethiah in Windhelm, and all the dead there and she admitted that she had killed all of the people found therein. 

"But let me explain something," she said. "I was tasked by the Daedric Prince Boethiah herself to eradicate the violent followers that plagued that shrine. When I showed up with Jenassa, they attacked us and we fought back. We were outnumbered by at least six. Unfortunately, Jenassa was killed in the attack, but I prevailed.  
Boethiah immediately reanimated Jenassa's body and tasked me with heading to Knifepoint Ridge, near Falkreath, to kill her old champion, who she felt was doing her name disservice by being little more than a thief lord. I was on my way back to Whiterun from Boethiah’s Calling when I heard about the attack in Solitude and hurried here instead."  
While I knew that there had been rumors of the Dragonborn's interaction with many of Skyrim's Daedric Princes, I was shocked and awed. To actually talk with a Daedric Prince! I understood then, that so many of the rumors and stories about the Dragonborn are true on some level, and yet, she is a benevolent personage, bent only upon the advancement of Skyrim and her people.  
I will level no more accusations at the Dragonborn and I only wish her well. After we talked, she asked that I leave her to be by her adopted daughter's bedside. She was working on using advanced spells to try to heal her. The Solitude Herald wishes her well.

 

**From the Solitude Herald, 28th of Frostfall**

 

It is with great sadness that we announce that Runa Fair-Shield, adopted daughter of Anya Nordborn and Balimund of Riften, has been diagnosed with Vampire Sanguinarus, the dread infection which advances to full-blown Vampirism at the end of three days if not treated in time. As you will all remember, the attack was on the 20th of Frostfall, and so the disease has indeed progressed to full Vampirism. 

The special potion of Cure Disease that Falion of Morthal developed to cure vampirism is an extremely difficult one to brew, and takes at least a day to come to full potency. It involves using a black soul gem and many arcane ingredients. Anya Nordborn is apparently hard at work on creating one with court wizard, Sybille Stentor, at the Blue Palace, even as I write this. They are hopeful that the potion will be successful in treating Runa and bringing her back to humanity. 

Apparently, the Dragonborn's residency at the College of Winterhold was time well-spent. We wish Runa the luck of Ysmir and good health and will keep you posted on developments. 

 

**From the Solitude Herald, 30th of Frostfall**

It is with great relief that we announce that Runa Fair-Shield, adopted daughter of Anya Nordborn, has been completely healed by the Special Cure Disease potion and any injuries sustained in the vampire attack on the 20th of Frostfall! 

The Dragonborn was hoping to remain in our fair city with her family for a couple of weeks to enjoy a little well-deserved rest and relaxation, but Balimund informed us this morning that she has already left on emergency mission to the Elvish Isle of Solstheim, where it's rumored that many of the citizens there have been enslaved by some unknown force. 

Apparently, they have left their jobs and families and work around the clock at building strange structures around the Solstheim Standing Stones while chanting about some individual named Miraak. 

Thank goodness they will have the Dragonborn to help them!

**THE END**


End file.
